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Overview

“A must read for anyone who wants to understand the new American way of war.” — General Michael V. Hayden, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency

A former special operations member takes us inside America’s covert drone war in this headline-making, never-before-told account for fans of Zero Dark Thirty and Lone Survivor, told by a Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal writer and filled with eye-opening and sure to be controversial details.

For nearly a decade Brett Velicovich was at the center of America’s new warfare: using unmanned aerial vehicles—drones—to take down the world’s deadliest terrorists across the globe. One of an elite handful in the entire military with the authority to select targets and issue death orders, he worked in concert with the full human and technological network of American intelligence—assets, analysts, spies, informants—and the military’s elite operatives, to stalk, capture, and eliminate high value targets in al-Qaeda and ISIS.

In this remarkable book, co-written with journalist Christopher S. Stewart, Velicovich offers unprecedented perspective on the remarkably complex nature of drone operations and the rigorous and wrenching decisions behind them. In intimate gripping detail, he shares insider, action-packed stories of the most coordinated, advanced, and secret missions that neutralized terrorists, preserved the lives of US and international warriors across the globe, and saved countless innocents in the hottest conflict zones today.

Drone Warrior also chronicles the US military’s evolution in the past decade and the technology driving it. Velicovich considers the future it foretells, and speaks candidly on the physical and psychological toll it exacts, including the impact on his own life. He reminds us that while these machines can kill, they can also be used productively to improve and preserve life, including protecting endangered species, work he is engaged in today.

Joining warfare classics such as American Sniper, Lone Survivor, and No Easy Day,Drone Warrior is the definitive account of our nation’s capacity and capability for war in the modern age.

Product Details

About the Author

Brett Velicovich has over ten years of experience conducting counterterrorism and intelligence operations globally. As an intelligence analyst within the U.S. military’s elite, his work was directly responsible for countless missions leading to the successful capture and kill of terrorist leaders. Serving five combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, he also worked in Somalia and received numerous combat medals for his service, including the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge. Regarded as a world-renowned drone expert, he left the service and earned an MBA from Duke University and helped start an initiative that looks to employ unmanned aerial vehicles in support of wildlife conservation in East Africa. He lives in Virginia.

Christopher S. Stewart is an investigative reporter at the Wall Street Journal, where he shared a 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. His work has appeared in GQ, Harper’s, New York Times Magazine, New York, The Paris Review, Wired, and other publications, and he also served as deputy editor at the New York Observer and is a former contributing editor at Condé Nast Portfolio. Stewart is the author of Hunting the Tiger and Jungleland. He lives with his family in New York.

Editorial Reviews

A captivating portrayal of an American warrior at the very cutting-edge of the War on Terror [and] a must read for anyone looking to better understand our modern warriors.”

New York Journal of Books

War is deeply personal. Drone Warrior takes us into the lives of those whose fight we often see only from the sky.

Gayle Lemmon

Drone Warrior reads like a great episode of Homeland, a gripping firsthand account of what it’s like inside the United States’ most secretive military operations.

Isha Sesay

’A uniquely detailed, first-hand account of the nature of changing warfare in the twenty-first century. Gripping and authoritative, the book sheds new light on how America has fought the war on terrorism and the technological prowess and individual dedication and expertise behind it.’

Bruce Hoffman

A must read for anyone who wants to understand the new American way of war.

General Michael V. Hayden

“A uniquely detailed account of how special forces operatives and the technology behind them have changed warfare in the twenty-first century.

Bruce Hoffman

War is deeply personal. Drone Warrior takes us into the lives of those whose fight we often see only from the sky.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Brett Velicovich and Christopher S. Stewart offer an unparalleled look into the ubiquitous use of drones on today’s battlefield. Their story is as pulsating as it is sobering...I couldn’t put Drone Warrior down. You won’t be able to either.

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